The Upside of Being Bored at Work

We all know what it's like when the clock hits 3 p.m. and we're already struggling to make it through to quitting time. (All I seem to want to do at that hour is take a nap or eat a ton of Gummi Bears, but maybe that's just me.) But, while feeling bored at work can make the day seem longer, new research shows that hitting that afternoon wall can actually make us more creative. (Say what?!)

In two studies, the University of Central Lancashire asked people to perform various tasks, then assessed how their creativity was affected. Their results show that more passive boring activities during the workday, like attending meetings, can lead to daydreaming and inspiration, while more active tasks, like writing, for example, don't allow the mind to wander as much.

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I don't know about you, but when I get bored at the office—no matter what I'm doing—I'm more likely to find myself trolling Pinterest or Facebook, not penning a novel on my notepad. But, maybe this research will inspire me to use my time a bit more wisely in the future? At the very least, daydreaming sounds a ton more fun than going through some random girl from high school's wedding photos (and more productive, too).